Character Q&A Couples’ Edition: Ayla & Hassani

I settle into an armchair in the living room of Ayla and Hassani Franklin’s home, doing my best to stay out of the way.

The house is every bit as beautiful as it was described in My Only. Natural light pours through the skylights overhead, illuminating the home Hassani once imagined on paper before bringing it to life for the woman sitting across from him.

Today, though, I’m not here to ask the questions.

I insist we try something different.

Instead of interviewing Hassani and Ayla myself, I hand the responsibility over to them and ask them to interview each other. Almost immediately, the uncertainty of trying something new adds a little charm to their interaction… which was exactly the goal.

“So who’s gonna go first?” Ayla asks, crossing her legs as she looks across at Hassani.

He smirks. “You, of course. You know you’re better at these types of things, baby.”

She turns toward me.

“Translation: I’m a scaredy-cat.”

“Ha, ha,” Hassani says, tossing a throw pillow her way. “I’m just being a gentleman and letting the lady go first.”

She catches the pillow against her lap and giggles.

“Mm-hmm.”

With the initial jitters out of the way, Ayla gets us started.